Whole Dude – Whole Spirituality – Page 109 – Whole Spirituality describes the Unity of God, Soul, and Matter using a Ground Substance of Spiritual Nature.

Bharat Darshan – The West Meets the East – Meet the White American Brahmin

The West Meets the East – Meet the White American Brahmin

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (Born. August 2, 1832,Orange, N.J. U.S.A., Died. February 17, 1907, Adyar, Madras (Chennai), India.

**Bharat Darshan – The West Meets the East-Meet the White American Brahmin.**

“OH, East is East, and West is West,

And never the twain shall meet.

Till Earth and Sky stand presently at

God’s Great Judgment Seat.”

(Rudyard Kipling, English poet, novelist, Nobel Prize winner)

The West Meets the East – The East – West Confluence:

Bharat Darshan – The West Meets the East. Meet the White American Brahmin. Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Colonel Henry Steel Olcott founded the Theosophical Society and established its headquarters at Adyar, Madras, Chennai .

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott, an American lawyer and philosopher founded the Theosophical Society in New York City in 1875 along with Russian-born religious mystic Helena Petrovna Blavatsky, William Judge and others. He became the first president of the Theosophical Society. In 1878 he and Blavatsky visited India. The two settled there in 1879 and in 1882 established the permanent headquarters of the Theosophical Society at Adyar, Madras. Theosophy incorporates aspects of Buddhism, Hinduism and Christian esotericism. His acceptance by and influence on the Buddhists was far reaching. Identified with Eastern philosophical thought, he also helped revive Hindu philosophy. A Pandit conferred on him the sacred thread of the Brahmin caste.

Olcott dedicated his energies to fraternal understanding and the search for truth. He referred to theosophists as “original searchers after spiritual knowledge”. In his farewell message he expressed the wish ” to impress on all men on earth that ‘there is no religion higher than Truth’ and that in the Brotherhood of Religions lies the peace and progress of humanity.”

Upon his death at Adyar, Madras, India in 1907, Olcott was succeeded as president by Ms. Annie Besant, a social reformer and Indian independence leader. She visited my home town Rajahmundry twice and established ‘Divya Gjyan Samaj'(Divine Wisdom Assembly) building at Alcot Gardens. The teachings of the Theosophical Society emphasized human service, a spiritual evolutionism and the role of suprahuman masters of Wisdom (“ADEPTS”).

The natives of my home town Rajahmundry still honour the memory of Colonel Olcott. The residential community of ‘Alcot Gardens’ derives its name from “Olcott”. (Kindly review the comment posted .)

Dr. R. Rudra Narasimham, B.Sc., M.B.B.S.,

Danavaipeta Municipal High School, Rajahmundry, East Godavari District, Andhra Pradesh, India,

S.S.L.C., Class of March, 1961.

**THE WEST MEETS THE EAST. MEET THE WHITE AMERICAN BRAHMIN. ANNIE BESANT – ANGEL OF INDIA .**

Akshaya Paatra – Discover Bliss from an empty pot

DHARMA RAJA, THE ELDEST OF PANDAVA PRINCES RECEIVING “AKSHAYA PAATRA” FROM ‘SURYA BHAGAWAN’

**Akshaya Patra. Discover Bliss From an Empty Pot.**

THE STORY OF AKSHAYA PAATRA:

**Akshaya Paatra – Discover Bliss from an empty pot. There are several interesting legends associated with Akshaya Tritiya.**

The word ‘Akshaya Paatra’ in the Sanskrit language means an inexhaustible vessel. This pot could supply delicious meals in an endless manner. This story is found in the Indian Epic poem of Mahabharata. Akshaya Paatra was a divine gift given to Dharmaraj by the Sun god, Surya. The pot was given to help the princely family of Pandavas to tide over their difficulties while they spent twelve years in the forest. They had to spend time in exile after losing their kingdom in a game of dice. Akshaya Paatra would provide meals so that the Pandava family could keep up with the Indian traditions of hospitality.Also keeping in line with the tradition, each day Akshaya Paatra would serve the final and last meal to the hostess. The hostess, Draupadi was very mindful of her traditional role and each day she would feed all the guests, all the dependents, all the family members and would then take the last meal.

THE DISCOVERY OF BLISS FROM AN EMPTY POT:

As per the story from Mahabharata, one evening, Draupadi found herself in a troubled situation. A Hindu sage by the name of Durvasa with a large entourage of his disciples arrived at the forest abode of Pandavas after Draupadi had taken the last meal from Akshaya Paatra. She prayed to Lord Krishna seeking help to feed her guests. Lord Krishna appeared before her and asked her to feed Him from Akshaya Paatra. Draupadi regretfully answered that the pot was empty. He directed her to take a closer look. Draupadi carefully reexamined the pot and discovered a single grain of rice that was stuck in the pot. As instructed, she fed the last grain from the pot to Lord Krishna and now the pot became truly empty. Lord Krishna derived His satisfaction when the last grain from the pot was removed and simultaneously, the entire party of guests experienced full satiation and Draupadi escaped from the burden of actually feeding them that evening.

I am speaking of this story about Akshaya Paatra to understand the concept about emptying the mind to discover pure consciousness. In Indian literature and idiom, the mind is often compared to a vessel or a pot. When all thoughts ( or desires) are taken out of the mind, what would remain in the mind is like that single grain of rice that Draupadi had discovered in the otherwise empty Akshaya Paatra. This last grain would represent the pure consciousness which discovers its unity with the Divine consciousness to provide pure Bliss and Joy. Lord Krishna could have easily provided a hearty meal to the entire party of guests. He did not choose to provide happiness through gratification of the physical needs of the body. Akshaya Paatra if seen as the representation of the mind, the mind was truly emptied when the last grain was removed from it and Lord Krishna demonstrated that there is no need to fill-up the pot to feed our desires. He delivered Joy, Bliss, and a total sense of perfect satisfaction while the pot remained empty. Just like the empty Akshaya Paatra that provided Bliss, when the last grain of desire is removed from the mind and given in offering to the Lord, the Lord would provide all that you may need without physical gratification of the senses. Man at any given age, under all given circumstances, in good health, or ill-health exists in this physical world because of ‘God-Connection’, the Connection between man, the energy seeker, and God, the energy provider. When the God-Connection is recognized, man experiences a sense of satisfaction, mental satiation, and he would have no desires to be gratified.

**Akshaya Patra. Discover the Bliss From an Empty Pot.**

“There is Joy in Emptiness”

The Dalai Lama is believed to be a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara or Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Compassion and the patron saint of Tibet. Bodhisattvas are enlightened beings who have postponed their own nirvana and chosen to take rebirth in order to serve humanity.

Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, was born in 1935 in a small hamlet in northeastern Tibet. At the age of 2, the child who was named Lhamo Dhondup, was recognized as the reincarnation of the 13th Dalai Lama, Thubten Gyatso.

The 14th Dalai Lama will visit Ann Arbor for a series of talks in Crisler Arena at the University of Michigan on Saturday and Sunday April 19 and 20. His presentation of the University of Michigan’s annual Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability is in celebration of Earth Day. The Wege Lecture is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He will also present a two-day program with two sessions on April 19 and 20. The session will focus on ” Engaging Wisdom and Compassion “. The teaching will be based on Acharya Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Ultimate Compassion and Je Tsong Khapa’s “In Praise of Dependent Origination.”

The Nature of Existence – The concept of Sunyata (Emptiness or Nothingness):

**There is Joy in Emptiness. ‘Engaging Wisdom and Compassion’. The Dalai Lama spoke at Crisler Arena, Ann Arbor.** Acharya Nagarjuna (A.D. 150-A.D. 250), the proponent of the ‘Sunyata’ doctrine.

Acharya Nagarjuna (A.D. 150- A.D. 250) born into a Brahmin family had lived in the present State of Andhra Pradesh, India. The emptying of the mind and the attainment of an undifferentiated unity is the theme of the ‘SUNYATA’ doctrine developed by Acharya Nagarjuna. ‘Sunyata’ is described as a state of “Pure Consciousness” in which the mind has been emptied of all particular objects and images. The emptied mind reflects or manifests the undifferentiated reality in which the world appears without distinctions and multiplicity. Nagarjuna was critical of both Buddhist and Hindu views on existence. According to Nagarjuna, the individual person is empty and lacks an eternal self. He extended the concept of ‘Sunyata’ to cover all concepts and all entities.

Nagarjuna’s philosophy is also called ‘Madhyamika’ because it claims to tread the middle path. As per Nagarjuna, the nature of existence is relational. There is no eternal reality behind changing forms of existence. There is no soul, no thing, no concept independent of its context, all things are empty of an absolute reality and exist only in relation to conditions.

The knowledge, perceiving the emptiness of all things and hence becoming detached from them, would help us to practice “nonattachment” in our engagement with people. If “EMPTINESS” is the highest Wisdom, it would help us to develop a sense of detachment and enable us to act with Compassion.

H.H. DALAI LAMA’S PRESENTATION -“ENGAGING WISDOM AND COMPASSION”:

There is Joy in Emptiness. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke on ‘Engaging Wisdom and Compassion’ on April 19-20, 2008 at Ann Arbor.

“At the root of all our suffering lies a form of ignorance, a form of unknowing”. The origin of suffering is attachment. “Self-grasping( or self-focus) gives rise to suffering. It is the root of all afflictions.” “Self-grasping” leads to attachment to impermanent things or thoughts which gives rise to suffering.

**My Philosophy of Medicine reviews the Buddhist Doctrine of Dependent Origination of Pain and Suffering**

Emptiness is created by casting aside the attachment to everyday things and worries. “The ultimate awakening mind is the Wisdom that directly realizes emptiness.”

H.H. Dalai Lama advised practicing loving kindness to eliminate the afflictions caused by attachment. The ultimate goal, he said is “cultivating the Wisdom of no self”, a sense of grand emptiness that leaves behind everyday pollutants that can take both physical or emotional form.

**There is Joy in Emptiness. Is there Joy in receiving the Nobel Peace Prize?**

I am that I am – I will be what I will be

MOSES PARTS THE RED SEA IN THE 1956 FILM TEN COMMANDMENTS DIRECTED BY DEMILLE

This entry is dedicated to the memory of legendary actor Charles Heston who passed away on April 5, 2008 at age 84.

In the Holy Bible, The Old Testament, The Second Book of Moses known as EXODUS traces Moses’ personal development and his emergence as one of history’s most decisive, powerful leaders. In Jewish history, Moses earned a place primarily as a liberator. He led the march from slavery to freedom, from Egypt to the Promised Land. Jews celebrate their liberation from slavery in Egypt as “PASSOVER” festival. Passover is one of the most important Jewish festivals. It is celebrated for seven days (by the Jewish calendar, Nisan 15-22). In year 2008, the festival begins on Saturday, April 19th. Jews celebrate the festival while reading the Book of Exodus. It includes encounters and conversations with God that have no equal in the Bible. Exodus contains much material about the nature of God. Moses met God in intimate ways which is not possible for other humans.

THE PROPER NAME OF GOD:

EXODUS, Chapter 3, verses 13-14

Moses said to God, “Suppose I go the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you’, and they ask me, ‘What is his name ?’ Then what shall I tell them ?”

God said to Moses, “I AM THAT I AM.” This is what you are to say to the Israelites. ‘I AM has sent me to you.”

I AM is the most proper name of God because it signifies that the being of God is His very essence and it is the proof of His existence. The great “I AM” would represent the following ideas and you may explore these thoughts and the references are cited :

1. I AM THE LORD GOD.(Genesis 46:3, Leviticus 18:2)

2. I AM THE SUPREME BEING. THE GOD OF THE WHOLE HUMAN RACE. ( Jeremiah 32:27)

3. I AM GREATER. THERE IS NO THOUGHT GREATER THAN I AM. (Genesis 35:11, Isaiah 51:15)

4. I AM THE UNCHANGING REALITY. I CHANGE NOT. (Malachi 3:6)

5. I AM THE TRUTH. (John 14:6)

6. I AM THE PRIME CAUSE. I AM THE CREATOR. (Isaiah 45:18)

7. I AM THE SOURCE OF LOVE, GRACE AND COMPASSION.(Exodus 22:27)

8. I AM ETERNAL. IAM THE ALPHA AND THE OMEGA. WHO IS, AND WHO WAS, AND WHO IS TO COME. THE BEGINNING AND THE END. (Revelation 1:8, 21:6)

9. I AM THE FIRST AND I AM THE LAST (Isaiah 44:6)

10. I AM HOLY. (Leviticus 11:44,45, 19:2, 1 Peter 1:6)

11. I AM THE COVENANT MAKER. (Genesis 9:12, Exodus 34:10)

12. I AM THE PROVIDER OF LAWS. (Deuteronomy 4:8, 12:28, 13:18)

13. I OFFER LIFE OR DEATH. (Deuteronomy 30:11, 32:39)

14. I AM THE SAVIOR. (Isaiah 45:22)

15. I AM THE LIVING BREAD. (John 6:51)

16. I AM THE TRUE VINE. (John 15:1)

17. I AM THE TEACHER. (John 13:13)

18. I AM THE HEALER. (Exodus 15:26)

19. I AM THE DESTROYER. (Genesis 6:13)

20. I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE. (John 11:25)

Kosovo’s independence – A threat to India

Kosovo’s Independence – A threat to India

KOSOVO-A TINY, ECONOMICALLY STAGNANT BREAKAWAY PROVINCE OF SERBIA

James Palmer is a student in the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.A.(james.palmer@tufts.edu) In a guest editorial titled ‘ U.S. blunders by recognizing Kosovo independence’ that was published in The Detroit Free Press on Monday, March 31, 2008, he claims that the decision to recognize Kosovo’s independence is foolish. In doing so, he states that the United States and its European allies have undermined international law and opened the door to separatist movements world wide to follow suit.

THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW:

The United Nations Charter enshrines the inviolability of state sovereignty. Mr. Palmer argues that in recognizing Kosovo without a UN Security Council Resolution, the United States and its European allies have weakened two of the fundamental principles of international law: that states are free to determine their internal composition and that their territorial integrity must be respected. Security Council Resolution 1244 placed Kosovo under the UN administration and provided for Kosovo’s autonomy within Serbia. Now, the administrative authority is transferred from the UN sanctioned mission in Kosovo to an EU mission that has no legal mandate in the province. The main problem is that Kosovo’s independence undermines a system of international law. Kosovo’s independence sets the precedent for ethnic enclaves within other sovereign states. As per Mr. Palmer, the dangerous precedent it has created is: the carving off of a sovereign state’s territory in favor of an ethnic and religious minority threatening violence – a model to be replicated elsewhere.

America has been making ill-fated decisions in the Balkans for at least a decade and a half. Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence has only re inflamed the divisions and enmities of the 1990s. Mr. Palmer warns that the ethnic Albanians in the states of Bosnia, Macedonia and Montenegro are emboldened and they are calling for creation of “greater Albania” which would result in a new round of ethnic cleansing and more violence.

KOSOVO AND KASHMIR – AMERICAN POLICY:

America and its European ally Great Britain have consistently worked to undermine the interests of India in the United Nations and the Security Council had passed resolutions which ignore India’s territorial integrity and India’s sovereignty over areas of Kashmir that Pakistan illegally occupied during its wars of aggression in 1947-48 (First Kashmir War).

**Kosovo’s independence – A threat to India. Soviet Prime Minister Nikita Khrushchev in Srinagar, Kashmir in 1955.**

India could protect its vital interests in the Security Council only on account of the help provided by the Soviet Union. Leaders of USSR, Nikita Khrushchev (1953-1964) and Leonid Brezhnev (1964-1982) played the role of a life savior and had helped India to defend its position with regard to Kashmir. At the end of the cold war, America to exercise its role as the world’s only Super Power had changed its attitude towards the basic principles of the United Nations Charter which govern international relations. America would now like to intervene on its own initiative without obtaining a mandate from the United Nations. American support to militant groups based in Kashmir clearly poses a great threat to India’s sovereignty over Kashmir and India should protect itself from the dangerous precedent created by the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo.

Kosovo’s independence threatens the Republic of India due to the threat posed by American interventionism.

“Man is condemned to be Free”- Is that so?

ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE - JEAN PAUL SARTRE — **Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so? SARTRE, JEAN-PAUL (b. JUNE 21, 1905, PARIS – d. APRIL 15, 1980, PARIS) FRENCH NOVELIST, PLAYWRIGHT, AND EXPONENT OF EXISTENTIALISM**

Existentialism is the popular name of a philosophical focus on human freedom, personal responsibility, and the importance of the individual’s need to make choices. Sartre’s book “Being and Nothingness” (1943) is considered to be one of the best philosophical work of the 20th century. Sartre’s central thesis is that humans are essentially free, free to choose (though Not free Not to choose) and free to negate the given features of the world. Sartre’s driving belief was in human freedom, the ability to choose not only a course of action but also what one would become. If man is truly free, the world, whether material or social, can place no constraints on him, not even to the extent of determining what would or would not be good reasons for following a given course of action.

Man is born free:

**Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?** The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 27:”So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.”

The Christian idea of freedom is based in the concept of man as the image of God. The Holy Bible, The Old Testament, The First Book of Moses, Genesis, Chapter 1, verse 26 reads: Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness;”

Man is a person because God is a person. The real sign of God as personal being is freedom. When God created man according to His image, He also gave over to him this mark of nobility i.e., freedom.

Freedom is based upon Knowledge:

**Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?**

German philosopher, Friedrich Hegel (1770-1831) viewed the whole of human history as a vast dialectical movement toward the realization of freedom. All of history is the progress of mind or spirit along a logically necessary path that leads to freedom. Human beings are manifestations of this universal mind, although at first they do not realize this. Freedom can not be achieved until human beings do realize it, and so feel at home in the universe. Hence, Hagel claimed that freedom is based on knowledge.

The Radical Freedom of “Being and Nothingness”

Sartre focused on the opposition between objective things and human consciousness. Human consciousness is a non-thing as its reality consists in standing back from things and taking a point of view on them. Because consciousness is a non-thing (Sartre’s “neant” literally means “nothingness”), it does not have any of the causal involvements that things have with other things. This means that consciousness and thus humans themselves are essentially free. Ironically, the freedom of human consciousness is experienced by humans as a burden. “Man is condemned to be free”.

The existentialist emphasis on the ultimacy of human freedom continues to represent an essential ingredient of philosophical thinking.

Indian tradition and Human Freedom:

**Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?** SPIRITUALITY SELF – AHAM BRAHMASMI – UNITY VS IDENTITY : THE SPIRIT, SOUL, OR ATMAN HAS TO BE INTERPRETED AS THE VITAL, ANIMATING PRINCIPLE THAT IS PRIMARILY INVOLVED IN ESTABLISHING MAN’S PHYSICAL EXISTENCE IN THE WORLD AND THE ISSUE IS NOT ABOUT ITS EXISTENCE WHEN SEPARATED FROM HUMAN BODY.

Who or what is the subject who lives because of the functions of trillions of cells that comprise the human organism? How to describe the identity of this individual who is truly a multicellular organism? While describing man’s identity, Indian Tradition points out the problem of Subjective-Objective dualism. The man who is born is the Subject and the man who is unborn is the Object. Indian thinkers propose that man is an embodied soul; the physical body experiences birth, growth, old age, sickness, and death while the soul is eternal, it is unborn and it never dies. Man as a subjective individual exists as a physical being, mental being, social being, moral being, and a spiritual being. The subjective reality of man’s physical or material existence is conditioned by his physical, mental, social, moral, and spiritual well-being. Man can seek to exist with a total sense of freedom in his thoughts but the thoughts exist while they are supported by a material being with a physical body and mind. The fact that the man is born binds him into a state of conditioned existence and the experience of freedom is a subjective experience.

**Man is condemned to be Free. Is that so?** Ramayana narrates the life journey of Lord Rama as a mortal human being. Man is a physical being, a mental being, a social being, a moral being, and a spiritual being. Man can not express a sense of human freedom and he is not free to act as he pleases. All the central characters of the epic poem of Ramayana acted within the limitations imposed upon their existence by mental, social, moral, and spiritual factors. Hence, I would claim that Rama is not born FREE.

In the epic poem of RAMAYANA, which describes the life journey of Prince Ramachandra of Ayodhya Kingdom, the Book of Ayodhya Kanda, chapters X IV to X VIII describe the anguish of King Dasaratha, the ruler of Ayodhya Kingdom. King Dasaratha was the father of Prince Ramachandra. He was in extreme agony as he had failed to act to express his natural affection to his son. The Emperor was tied down by the traditions of SATYA(Truth) and DHARMA(Right Conduct), was totally helpless and could not display any sense of freedom. King Dasaratha was a moral being and this identity of a moral being would not allow him the freedom to act as a social being and express love and affection to his son. King Dasaratha had ordered his son to live in a forest and then urged his son to disobey his order to fulfil his duty to show his sense of filial affection. Prince Ramachandra claimed that He was not free to act in disobedience of His father’s command and stated that He can not make any choice other than that of choosing a life in exile. Man who is experiencing the subjective reality of conditioned existence has no real freedom.

This inexplicable and unexpected act that resulted in the banishment of Prince Ramachandra is described as a work of ‘FATE’. In Sanskrit literature, “DAIVAM” means fate. It conveys the sense of belief in God as the ‘PRIME CAUSE’. Since God is in control, man is not free to act as he pleases. Since man is tied down, he is born in shackles without freedom. The goal of man is to seek “RELEASE” which is described as “MUKTI” and the purpose of human life is described as “LIBERATION” which is named as “MOKSHA”.

ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE:

Man describes as to who he is, his nature, and his essence, with the help of his thoughts, his intellect, his knowledge, his feelings, his sense of self-pride or self-ego, and his social status and social position. However, this essence is not the basis for man’s existence in nature. Man can not sustain his biological existence because of his essence. Man is not an independent entity. Man leads a dependent existence. The reality of man’s existence is a conditioned experience. Without this reality of conditioned state of existence, man can not describe his essence. Existence precedes essence. Existence is the prerequisite for essence to manifest. The essence is manifested by the being, the material body with mind, thoughts, intellect, knowledge, feelings, and self-pride or self-ego. This material being need to exist, and the state or condition of this physical existence is biologically manifested as alertness, wakefulness, awareness, and consciousness. Consciousness or Nothingness is the prerequisite for essence, and for the physical existence of the material Being. When consciousness departs, the essence also gets dissolved. If man enjoys a sense of freedom and expresses it as his essence, this freedom is subject to the reality of conditioned subjective existence. Man, and his essence is displayed if it is accompanied by Nothingness, the biological function called the capacity for consciousness. The contents of consciousness describe the nature of man’s essence. The contents of consciousness are known only when man has the capacity for consciousness. The anatomical structure that performs the function to provide the ability or the capacity for consciousness is in the Reticular Formation of the Brain Stem. Man is aware of his essence when the functions of his Brain Stem exist. Brain Stem functions in an autonomous manner and man is not truly free to govern the functions of his Brain Stem which is the prerequisite for his physical and mental being to maintain its living functions, the state and the condition called Living.

The Objective Reality of Man’s Existence:

In Chapter Four(Transcendental Knowledge) of The Bhagavad Gita, in verse 6 Lord Krishna states that He is unborn and also in Chapter VII (Knowledge of the Absolute), in verse 24, He states “Unintelligent men, who do not know Me not, think that I have assumed this Form and Personality. Due to their small knowledge, they do not know My higher nature, which is changeless and supreme.”

Indian Tradition suggests that the mind and body which represent the material human person is in reality an illusion named as ‘MAYA’. The real identity of man is described by an eternal and unchanging reality that is unborn and hence is not subject to birth or death.

Attain Enlightenment -Reason, Experience, and Intuition

Could science and the methods of rational and empirical inquiry help us in knowing the nature and the destiny of humanity? Could we extend scientific methods into every field of inquiry? Could we find truth and reality as an external experience or is it visualized entirely in the realm of intuition and conscience?

ENLIGHTENMENT – THE AGE OF REASON

Enlightenment is a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in which ideas concerning God, reason, nature and man were synthesized into a world view. The thinkers of the Enlightenment were committed to secular views based on reason or human understanding only, which they hoped would provide a basis for beneficial changes affecting every area of life and thought.

The Enlightenment was based upon a few great fundamental ideas- such as the dedication to reason, the belief in intellectual progress, the confidence in nature as a source of inspiration and value, and the search for tolerance and freedom in political and social institutions. Central to Enlightenment thought were the use and the celebration of reason, the power by which man understands the universe and improves his own condition. The goals of rational man were considered to be knowledge, freedom and happiness. It instigated revolutionary developments in art, philosophy and politics. Sir Issac Newton is considered to be the true father of Enlightenment. He established the basic idea of the authority and autonomy of reason.

The Enlightenment Movement eventually broke up under the impact of new evidence and new insights. Nature, once considered a synonym of reason and visible proof of the existence of God and His benevolence, broke up into something to be studied with scientific objectivity and something to be enjoyed in romantic indulgence. The most significant contribution of the Enlightenment came in the field of social and political philosophy.

ROUSSEAU, JEAN-JACQUES – THE ROLE OF INTUITION

JEAN-JACQUES, ROUSSEAU (b.JUNE 28, 1712, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND-d. JULY 2, 1778, ERMENONVILLE, FRANCE) FRENCH PHILOSOPHER, POLITICAL THEORIST WHOSE IDEAS INSPIRED THE LEADERS OF THE FRENCH REVOLUTION.

Rousseau is the least academic of modern philosophers but in many ways he is the most influential. His thought marked the end of the Age of Reason and the birth of Romanticism.

Rousseau had a profound impact on people’s way of life. He opened men’s eyes to the beauties of nature and he made liberty an object of almost universal aspiration.

He is credited with having introduced a great discovery about the nature of freedom and he emphasized the primacy of individual liberty. The other Enlightenment thinkers pursued the nature of humankind empirically in physiological and psychological studies or in historical and anthropological researches, whereas Rousseau sought the nature of humans in the wholly private realm of intuition and conscience. He looked inward for the fundamental source of moral obligation. Enlightenment has faith in reason which is understood as abstraction from external experience, Rousseau has emphasized that the inner life as a source of truth.

Rousseau had shared the Enlightenment view that society had perverted natural man, the “noble savage” who lived harmoniously with nature, free from selfishness, want, possessiveness, and jealousy. In his essay, ‘ A Discourse on the Sciences and the Arts ‘(1750), he argued that the history of man’s life on earth has been a history of decay. Man is good by nature but has been corrupted by society and civilization.

One of the first principles of Rousseau’s political philosophy is that politics and morality never be separated. The second important principle is freedom, which the state is created to preserve. The state is a unity and as such expresses the general will. The general will is to secure freedom, equality and justice within the state and in the Social Contract, individual sovereignty is given up to the state in order that these goals might be achieved.

In his political book called ‘ Du Contrat Social ‘(The Social Contract) published in 1762, Rousseau begins with the opening sentence; ” Man was born free, but he is everywhere in chains “. He proposed a society able to cultivate the individual’s moral stature without injury to his freedom. He had expressed freedom and equality of citizens in the idiom of natural and inalienable rights. Rousseau had believed that man has to find his way to his pure nature and to achieve this , man’s duty is to look for his most deep interior feelings and follow them.

BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT

Gautama, at the age of 35, attained the Enlightenment or Awakening. In Buddha’s own recorded words : ” My mind was emancipated…. Ignorance was dispelled, science(knowledge) arose, darkness was dispelled, light arose.”

Science and scientific methods bring us knowledge about life, nature and the universe that we live in. But, intuition provides us with the insight to improve the way we live this life. My Guru, Shankara has spoken a word of caution:

maa kuru dhana jana yauvana garvam

harati nimeshhaat kaalah sarvam

maayaamayamidamakhilam hitvaa

brahmapadam tvam pravisha viditvaa

Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question?

Half Full or Half Empty is not the Right Question – Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

**Whole Dude – Whole Realism: **Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question?** Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?**

Excerpt: When I drink from the ‘Cup of my Life’; What I truly experience from my life, the reality of my condition is more important than my attitude towards existence. The man has no hope to find happiness until and unless he renounces all desires including the desire to find happiness. The man has no choice other than that of living in the moment without concern for either pessimism or optimism. The attitude of dispassion automatically excludes both pessimism and optimism.

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? IS THAT REALLY IMPORTANT?

I drank from that cup. Now, the cup could be described as half full or half empty. Is that really important? The cup that I drink from gives me pain and I experience suffering. What would be the right question if I have to drink from that cup? What I truly experience from my life, the reality of my condition is more important than my attitude towards my existence. The issue is not about optimism or pessimism. I need to focus on knowing the reality and I need to face the reality about what I experience when I drink from that Cup of my Life.

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS CUP TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME ?

I would answer this question from a reading from The New Testament of The Holy Bible. I would like to quote verses 36 to 44, chapter 26, The Gospel According to Matthew.

36. Then Jesus came with His disciples to a place called Gethsemane and said to them, “Sit here while I go and pray over there.”

37. And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and He began to be sorrowful and deeply distressed.

38. Then He said to them, “My soul is exceedingly sorrowful, even to death. Stay here and watch with Me.”

39. He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if it is possible let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.”

40. Then He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “What! Could you not watch with Me one hour?

41.”Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

42. Again, a second time, He went away and prayed, saying, “O My Father, if this cup cannot pass away from Me unless I drink it, may Your will be done.”

43. And He came and found them asleep again, for their eyes were heavy.

44. So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.

Jesus had prayed three times, saying the same words. It was not possible for the cup to pass away and Jesus had to drink from the cup.

THE TEACHINGS OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA:

Whole Dude – Whole Realism: Lord Gautama Buddha has laid the foundation for understanding Pain and Suffering that is implicit in Human Existence. Half Full or Half Empty? – What is the real Question? Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

At age 29, Prince Siddhartha realized that humans are subject to old age, sickness, disability and death. He became aware of the suffering implicit in human existence. Buddha described the nature of reality and Dharma (“true law”) as the Four Noble Truths (1) life is fundamentally disappointment and suffering; (2) suffering is a result of one’s desires for pleasure, power, and continued existence; (3) to stop disappointment and suffering one must stop desiring and (4) the way to stop desiring and thus suffering is the Noble Eightfold Path- right views, intention, speech, conduct, livelihood, effort, mindfulness, and concentration.

From the hymns popularly known as Bhaja Govindam, while I drink from the Cup of my Life, I will keep contemplate on the concept of dispassion:

“KASYA SUKHAM NA KAROTI VIRAGAH”

suramandira-taru-mūla-nivāsaḥ
śayyā bhūtalamajinaṃ vāsaḥ ।
sarva-parigraha-bhōgatyāgaḥ
kasya sukhaṃ na karōti virāgaḥ ॥ 19 ॥

Living in temples or at the foot of trees, sleeping on the ground, wearing deer-skin, renouncing all possessions and their enjoyment – to whom will not dispassion bring happiness?

The verse 19 in Shankaracharya’s Bhaja Govindam questions, “Kasya sukham na karoti viragah?”, which means, “What pleasure cannot be given by dispassion?” It gives all the pleasures because you are so totally living in the moment.

The man has no hope to find happiness until and unless he renounces all desires including the desire to find happiness. The man has no choice other than that of living in the moment without concern for either pessimism or optimism. The attitude of dispassion automatically excludes both pessimism and optimism.

**Whole Dude – Whole Realism: Half Full or Half Empty doesn’t change the reality of the experience.**

**Whole Dude – Whole Realism: The Cup of Life holds for me Pain, Humiliation, and Loss of Face.**

His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to Ann Arbor, Michigan

HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA- WINNER OF THE 1989 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

The 14th Dalai Lama will visit Ann Arbor for a series of talks in Crisler Arena at the University of Michigan on Saturday and Sunday April 19 and 20. His presentation of the University of Michigan’s annual Peter M. Wege Lecture on Sustainability is in celebration of Earth Day. The Wege Lecture is sponsored by the Center for Sustainable Systems at the School of Natural Resources and Environment. He will also present a two-day program with two sessions on April 19 and 20. The session will focus on “Engaging Wisdom and Compassion.” The teaching will be based on Acharya Nagarjuna’s Commentary on Ultimate Compassion and Je Tsong Khapa’s “In Praise of Dependent Origination.”

THE FUTURE OF TIBET:

**The Vatican City State and Tibet. Just like the Pope who is the Head of the Vatican City State, H.H. Dalai Lama is the Temporal and Spiritual Leader of the Land of Tibet.**

Vatican City is recognized as an ecclesiastical State. Sovereignty is exercised by the Pope upon his election as the Head of the Roman Catholic Church. The Pope has absolute executive, legislative and judicial powers within the Vatican City State. Similarly, the Dalai Lama is the spiritual and temporal Head of Tibet. The United States had formulated an official policy about Taiwan. With regards to Tibet, the United States has to first recognize the fact that the Tibet is under illegal Chinese occupation since 1951.

THE SPIRITS OF SPECIAL FRONTIER FORCE:

WholeDude-WholeAgency : Unfortunately, the Central Intelligence Agency has represented the United States as the military partner of the military pact/alliance between the United States, India, and Tibet. Tibetan Resistance Movement has remained beyond public view and this is the first photo image of public recognition of US participation to defend Freedom, and Democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet. Picture taken at Camp Hale, Colorado, USA.

Special Frontier Force is a multinational defense plan, a military pact/alliance between the United States, India, and Tibet which came into existence during 1962 to defend freedom and democracy in the occupied Land of Tibet.

Driving the Last Nail into the Coffin – The Dismembering of the Republic of Yugoslavia

The Policy of Regime Change Dismantles the Republic of Yugoslavia

**Driving the last nail into the coffin. The Dismembering of the Republic of Yugoslavia. NEHRU, NKRUMAH, NASSER, SUKARNO, TITO-THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT**

NEHRU, NKRUMAH, NASSER, SUKARNO, TITO-THE FOUNDING LEADERS OF NON-ALIGNED MOVEMENT

THE INITIATIVE OF FIVE:

**Driving the Last Nail into the Coffin – The Dismembering of the Republic of Yugoslavia. President Tito was the first Secretary General for the Non-Aligned Movement.**

The term ” Non-Alignment ” was coined by Indian Prime Minister Nehru during his speech in 1954 in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The first official Non-Aligned Movement Summit was held in September 1961 in Belgrade at the initiative of Yugoslav President Tito and he was appointed as the first Secretary General for the Non-Aligned Movement. India, Yugoslavia, Egypt, Ghana and Indonesia became the leading advocates for this Movement and currently 55 percent of world’s population is represented by the Non-Aligned Movement.

I grew up in India and developed a sense of fondness for Yugoslavia and viewed it as a friend and a partner in a world that is divided into rival camps.

THE DISMEMBERING OF THE REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA:

Yugoslavia is the largest of the Balkan countries of southeastern Europe, is bordered by Austria and Hungary in the north, Romania and Bulgaria in the east, Greece and Albania in the south, and Italy and the Adriatic Sea in the west. From the end of World War II until 1990, Yugoslavia was a Communist state. Hence, the West led by the United States targeted this nation for destruction. The death of Tito in 1980 provided an opportunity. Ethnic rivalries were encouraged and violent conflicts between various ethnic and religious groups were strongly supported by various outside forces and the country started falling apart into bits by 1991.

THE LAST NAIL IN THE COFFIN:

The unilateral declaration of independence on February 18, 2008 by Kosovo which is under occupation by U.S. led NATO forces is the final nail in the coffin and the West had successfully accomplished its mission of dismembering the State of Yugoslavia.

This event is of very great significance to India as the United States continues to support ethnic and religious rivalries in the Indian sub-continent. The United States over the last several decades is pursuing a policy that would assure the dismembering of the Republic of India and it openly funds, arms and equips the secessionist elements and provides political patronage in public events such as the Party Conventions.

The West Meets the East – Meet the White American Brahmin

Colonel Henry Steel Olcott (Born. August 2, 1832,Orange, N.J. U.S.A., Died. February 17, 1907, Adyar, Madras (Chennai), India.

The West Meets the East – The East – West Confluence:

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DHARMA RAJA, THE ELDEST OF PANDAVA PRINCES RECEIVING “AKSHAYA PAATRA” FROM ‘SURYA BHAGAWAN’

THE STORY OF AKSHAYA PAATRA:

THE DISCOVERY OF BLISS FROM AN EMPTY POT:

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The Nature of Existence – The concept of Sunyata (Emptiness or Nothingness):

H.H. DALAI LAMA’S PRESENTATION -“ENGAGING WISDOM AND COMPASSION”:

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THE PROPER NAME OF GOD:

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Kosovo’s Independence – A threat to India

KOSOVO-A TINY, ECONOMICALLY STAGNANT BREAKAWAY PROVINCE OF SERBIA

THE UNITED NATIONS AND THE INTERNATIONAL LAW:

KOSOVO AND KASHMIR – AMERICAN POLICY:

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Man is born free:

Freedom is based upon Knowledge:

The Radical Freedom of “Being and Nothingness”

Indian tradition and Human Freedom:

ESSENCE AND EXISTENCE:

The Objective Reality of Man’s Existence:

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ENLIGHTENMENT – THE AGE OF REASON

ROUSSEAU, JEAN-JACQUES – THE ROLE OF INTUITION

BUDDHA’S ENLIGHTENMENT

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Half Full or Half Empty is not the Right Question – Can You Drink the Cup I Drink?

HALF FULL OR HALF EMPTY? IS THAT REALLY IMPORTANT?

IS IT POSSIBLE FOR THIS CUP TO BE TAKEN AWAY FROM ME ?

THE TEACHINGS OF GAUTAMA BUDDHA:

“KASYA SUKHAM NA KAROTI VIRAGAH”

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HIS HOLINESS THE DALAI LAMA- WINNER OF THE 1989 NOBEL PEACE PRIZE

THE FUTURE OF TIBET:

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The Policy of Regime Change Dismantles the Republic of Yugoslavia

THE INITIATIVE OF FIVE:

THE DISMEMBERING OF THE REPUBLIC OF YUGOSLAVIA:

THE LAST NAIL IN THE COFFIN:

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